My New York City studio in The National Arts Club was recently featured on an episode of Homeworthy!

This month, Lipscomb alumnus and Nashville- and New York-based internationally acclaimed portrait artist Michael Shane Neal (BA ’91) celebrated the official presentation of his second painting to be acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. And, the subject has a special connection to Lipscomb University.

To mark the occasion, the National Portrait Gallery held an event on Jan. 26 to celebrate the installation of the portrait of Fred D. Gray, prominent civil rights attorney who played a key role in landmark litigation to advance civil rights beginning with the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the 1950s. The free event featured a conversation with Neal and Gray about the painting and a viewing of the painting, which was installed for display on the first-floor presentation wall in December.

When Michael Shane Neal  (BA ’91) steps up to his easel to paint the beauty of God’s creation, he most often is not painting flowers, trees, mountains or clouds in the sky. He’s painting eyes, hands and the spirit of an individual—many famous, some not—but all reflections of God’s creation of this earth.

Since beginning a full-time career as an artist immediately upon graduating from Lipscomb, Neal has completed more than 600 commissioned portraits now on display around the world. He has built an international reputation for his realistic and emotive portraits, often focusing on notable figures, including politicians, military leaders and cultural icons.

Last year, Michael Shane Neal’s portrait of legendary civil rights attorney Fred Gray was unveiled in Tuskegee, Alabama. The portrait was commissioned by a group of donors, known as the Friends of Fred Gray, who gathered for the presentation at the Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center. For the donors, the painting was a realization of a long-held dream, but they had even greater aspirations—hoping the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. would include the portrait in its collection.

An oil portrait painted from life of Attorney Fred Gray, by artist Michael Shane Neal, has been acquired by The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. for its permanent collection. The portrait was commissioned by "Friends of Fred Gray," a group of donors who believed in the historical significance of a painting of Mr. Gray and its inclusion in the museum's collection to educate future generations on his work for the Civil Rights Movement throughout his lifetime.

The American artist Michael Shane Neal uses two palettes for his portrait painting sessions. One of them, smeared with varying hues, he holds aloft in his left hand while working on a canvas, his live subject often posed in a chair nearby. The other palette rests on the fireplace mantle of his 10th-floor studio in New York City’s National Arts Club.

This week I had the opportunity to be a guest on Jeff Hein’s The Undraped Artist podcast again. This time around, I was talking about The Portrait Society’s portrait and figure competition, The International, as well as the upcoming Art of the Portrait conference in Atlanta.

I was thrilled to have my National Arts Club studio included in an article by Wendy Goodman in the January 2024 edition of New York Magazine!

I am a native of Nashville, a beautiful city on the Cumberland River in the heart of Middle Tennessee. Nashville has long been called the “Athens of the South” because of its many learning institutions. The citizens have embraced this identifier through its storied academic history and its architecture, reflected in the many examples of Greek Revival homes and public buildings. In Centennial Park, near downtown Nashville, stands the world’s only full-scale replica of Greece’s Parthenon.

What an absolute joy it was to be in Washington, D.C. just a few weeks ago with over 750 artists from all around the world! This year’s The Art of the Portrait conference was a wonderful celebration of The Portrait Society of America’s 25th Anniversary. You could feel the camaraderie, encouragement, and inspiration between artists throughout the entire weekend, and I couldn’t help but think of how pleased our founders would be to see this spirit of fellowship that they envisioned continuing on today.

In today’s world, post the tremendous upheaval that recent events have thrust upon our lives and professions, many of us have reevaluated the way we live and work. Decades of how we navigated our lives were well-ingrained and, in some ways, on autopilot. Most of us approached life, education, and career paths in similar patterns established by our parents and even our grandparents. Among the somewhat recent changes that have been embraced by young people is how they seek and receive their educations.

At a recent portrait unveiling I attended in New York City, Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, shared his admiration for legendary dancer Judith Jamison by concluding, “Because you are, I am,” echoing the ancient African philosophy of Ubuntu. Having been a part of the Portrait Society of America for more than 20 years I can easily say the same about this amazing organization, “Because you are, I am!”

I was excited to be asked by artist Jeff Hein to be a guest on his podcast, The Undraped Artist. It’s a fantastic podcast where Jeff interviews artists about their careers, their education, and other aspects of art.

What a beautiful evening honoring the legendary dancer, Judith Jamison, at The National Arts Club! A brilliant artist and incredible career.

I had the honor of painting Seven-time GRAMMY®-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader Christian McBride for the music room in The National Arts Club in New York City. It was an incredible night honoring this jazz legend as he received Medal of Honor for Achievement in Music.

The International Churchill Society published a write-up about the presentation of my portrait of Sir Winston Churchill to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee:

I stepped out of the cab in front of the National Arts Club in New York, just as I had a hundred times before. There stood the venerable old building, the home of the club for more than a century, towering over the gated and beautiful Gramercy Park—a small piece of relative tranquility carved out of a restless city just beyond its borders. Although it may have looked familiar to me, and countless others, it would never be quite the same again.

Many thanks to Jessica Bliss and The Tennessean for the recent article written about my career and work. You can read the full article here, but below is a brief excerpt:

On November 7th, Dr. Art Wheeler came to visit my studio. He was engaging and filled with such an energy that you could feel it and see it in the twinkle of his eyes from the moment you met him. As he sat in my studio with his beautiful wife, Lisa, I began our meeting as I do so many. I love people and can’t wait to learn more about the person I am about to paint. But, this day was different. I sat riveted as the celebrated physician began to talk. Very quickly he suggested his portrait might need to progress a bit faster than my normal commission. With barely a pause and very little change in the inflection in his voice, he told me he was dying of pancreatic cancer and only had weeks to live. “I likely will not make it to January,” he calmly told me.

I was recently invited to be a guest on John Dalton’s great podcast, and I really enjoyed talking with him.